Alarm clock having touch type shutoff



May 14, 1968 c. BOWDEN ALARM CLOCK HAVING TOUCH TYPE SHUTOFF Filed Nov. 10, 1966 DRIVE TRMN United States Patent 3,382,665 ALARM CLOCK HAVING TOUCH TYPE SHUTOFF Lee C. Bowden, Warren, Ky., assignor to General Time Corporation, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 593,498 7 Claims. (Cl. Sit-21.15)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An alarm clock including a clock motor having an associated alarm device, and a clock mechanism driven by the motor and including an hour wheel. A settable index wheel is mounted adjacent to the hour wheel and means are provided for moving one of the wheels axially as the hour wheel is rotated into register with the index wheel, thereby releasing the alarm device for sounding the alarm. A shutoff plunger extends downwardly from the clock for engagement with a supporting surface, and is movable between a downwardly projecting position and an inwardly pressed position. When the plunger is in its inwardly pressed position, the alarm device is disabled by means coupled to the plunger. The plunger also includes means for holding it in its extended position for supporting the clock housing slightly spaced from the supporting surface while permitting inward movement of the plunger upon application of a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing.

The present invention relates to alarm clocks and more particularly to a clock having provision for shutting off the alarm upon touching the clock housing.

It is an object of the invention to provide an alarm clock which is easily operated, requiring only the pulling out of a shut-elf plunger at the bottom of the clock to set the alarm and a light touch on the top of the clock to turn off the alarm after it has sounded. It is another object to provide an alarm clock which, in spite of the convenient touch feature may be manufactured economically and which makes full use of lowcost clock mechanisms of existing production designs. In one of its aspects it is an object to provide a touch-controlled shut-off arrangement which has inherent stability, insuring against upset when force is applied substantially off-center.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a simplified perspective view of the pertinent portion of an alarm clock mechanism embodying the present invention, with the alarm set and triggered to respond;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a clock employing the mechanism of FIG. 1 in the set condition;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are a series of fragmentary stop motion views showing the alarm mechanism set, triggered, and shut off respectively.

FIG. 5a is a fragmentary view showing the shut-01f link rocked upwardly into active position;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 2 but showing the clock pressed for shut-off; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary front view looking along the line 7-7 in FIG. 6.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment shown, and that I intend, on the contrary, to cover the various alternative and equivalent constructions included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the construction shown in the drawing, the clock mechanism 10 is mounted in a housing 11 seated Patented May 14, 1968 on a supporting surface 12. The clock has a conventional metal frame, fragments of which have been indicated at 13. Since electrical alarm clock mechanisms are well known in the art, elements common to all such clocks have been purposely omitted or shown simply diagrammatically. Thus the clock includes a small synchronous electric motor 15- and gear drive train 16 mechanically coupled via a connection 17 to an hour wheel 18, and hour hand 19. The hour hand 19 will be understood to have an associated minute hand (not shown) geared to it.

For the purpose of sounding the alarm, a buzzer blade 25-is provided in the usual form of a length of spring metal anchored to the clock frame upon a bracket 26- and cooperating with an auxiliary pole 2-7 formed as part of the pole structure of the motor 15. For enabling and disabling the buzzer blade, an alarm control lever 30 is employed having a first arm 31 and a second arm 32 centrally pivoted in a notch 33 formed in a portion of the clock frame. The lever is biased, clockwise as shown in FIG. 1, by means of a biasing spring 34.

For normally disabling the buzzer blade 25, while triggering it for release at the pre-set time, a gear or index wheel 40 is used concentric with and adjacent to the hour wheel 18, the index wheel being settable in its phase position by an alarm set knob 41. To secure relative axial movement between the two wheels when the hour wheel 18 comes into register with the index wheel 40, a cam 42 is secured on the index wheel capable of registering with a complementary slot 43 in the hour wheel. When the cam and slot are not in register, the cam serves to press the hour wheel 18 away from the index wheel. This causes the alarm control lever 30 to be rocked in the counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 1) causing the arm 32 of the lever to press against the buzzer blade to prevent the blade from vibrating-4n short, the alarm re mains turned off.

However, at the pre-set time the slot 43 in the hour wheel rotates into register with the cam so that drop-off occurs, permitting the lever 30 to rock clockwise under the urging of the biasing spring 34 thus freeing the buzzer blade to sound the alarm.

In accordance with the present invention a shut-off plunger is provided which extends downwardly through the clock housing for engaging the supporting surface and which is disabling coupled to the buzzer blade at its upper end, the plunger being movable between a downwardlyprojecting clock-supporting position in which the buzzer blade is enabled to sound and an inwardly-pressed position in which the buzzer blade is disabled to shut off the alarm. Means are provided for normally holding the plunger in its projecting position for supporting the housing slightly spaced from the supporting surface while permitting inward movement of the plunger upon applying a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing. Thus referring to the drawing I provide a shut-off plunger having a button end 51 which extends through a registering opening 52 in the clock housing and downwardly into engagement with the supporting surface 12. At its upper end 53 the plunger is connected to a horizontally extending shut-off link 54 pivoted at 55 to the clock frame. Conveniently, the connection between the plunger and the link may be obtained by bending over the end 53 of the plunger, as shown, into a receiving opening 56 at the end of the link. The end of the plunger may be made captive in'the link by pressing on a small resilient collar 57. The swingable link serves to guide the upper end of the plunger; the lower end of the plunger is preferably guided by passing through an opening 58 formed in the clock frame.

For engaging the end of the link, the alarm control lever 30 preferably has an integral extension forming a cam follower surface 61 while the end of the link is angled to form a camming surface 62. When the plunger is in its downwardly projecting position, the two surfaces are out of engagement as shown in FIG. 1 so that the alarm mechanism is free to sound, but when the plunger is pressed inwardly the cam 62 on the link rides against the cam follower surface 61 to rock the alarm control lever 30 into counterclockwise disabling position. For defining the abling and disabling positions of the plunger, a simple form of frictional detent 65 is used consisting of a length of spring wire 66 cooperating with shallow notches 67, 68 formed in the lower portion of the plunger.

While the operation will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the foregoing description, it may be helpful to summarize the sequence in connection with the stop motion views shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Assuming that the alarm setting knob is set to the desired wake-up time, the plunger 50 is pulled to its projecting position as shown in FIG. 2. The dctent force is sufiicient to maintain the plunger extended, supporting the weight of the clock. As time passes, the hour wheel 18 rides around on the tip of the cam 42 as shown in FIG. 3, maintaining the control lever 30 pressed counterclockwise to disable the buzzer blade. When the pre-set time is reached as shown in FIG. 4, drop-off occurs and the lever 30 is released so that the buzzer blade 25 is free to buzz in response to the alternating magnetic field of the auxiliary pole 27 of the motor structure.

Sounding of the alarm continues until fingertip pressure is applied to the top of the clock as shown in FIG. 6, the reaction force from the supporting surface 12 acting to thrust the plunger inwardly. Upward movement of the plunger causes the cam surface 62 on the shut-off link to engage the surface 61 on the control lever, as shown in FIG. 5, rocking the latter back into its original disabling position, engaging the buzzer blade and shutting off the alarm.

In accordance with one of the more detailed aspects of the invention, a rockable edge 70 is provided for supporting the rear portion of the clock housing, and the plunger 50 is horizontally spaced from such edge so that the front portion of the clock is maintained temporarily in a slightly upraised position. Thus, light downward pressure applied at the front edge of the clock serves to rock the housing about the edge 70 into a lowered position while achieving shut-off. The edge 70 and the plunger 50 thus provide stable tripod support even when the clock housing is in its upraised position. To further insure against the possibility of toppling the clock sideways when seeking to turn off the alarm, a further line of support is provided along the front of the clock, spaced from and parallel to the edge 70 and extending substantially on both sides of the plunger. In the present instance, the front line of support located at 73 (FIG. 2) is created by two short downwardly extending legs or pads 71, 72 which are located respectively at the fornt corners of the clock housing. Thus in the event that shut-off force is applied olfcenter, say, at one of the upper corners, tending to create an upsetting moment about the centrally-located plunger, any tendency for the clock housing to tilt laterally is immediately arrested by engagement of one of the legs 71, 72, maintaining the clock upright and insuring completion of the shut-off stroke. Indeed, the legs 71, 72, together with the rockable edge 70, define what may be termed a normal, extensive plane of support 74, with the plunger being located adjacent the front edge 73 thereof. When downward pressure is applied the housing is restored to the normal plane of support, with the legs 71, 72 bottoming against the surface 12. This protects the plunger against any possible application of excessive pressure, preventing the plunger from becoming bent or any portion of the internal mechanism from becoming damaged, for example, where the clock is forceably struck from above rather than lightly touched.

Positive shut-off may be achieved by a relatively short plunger stroke so that when the alarm is set, the front edge of the clock clears the supporting surface by only a small amount, on the order of one-eighth of an inch or less, barely preceptible to the casual viewer, so that the appearance of the clock is not affected. If desired the stroke may be further reduced by connecting the plunger to the link at a radius which is even shorter than that shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the plunger may be shifted with only minor change in construction to a point adjacent the rear of the clock, whereupon the line 73 at the front becomes the rockable edge, remaining in permanent engagement with the supporting surface. In such event the user will apply shut-off force at the back of the clock housing rather than at the front.

It is one of the features of the construction that the touch feature is achieved at minor expense and without substantial revision or reconstruction of alarm clock designs already in quantity production. While the feature adds substantially to the utility and value of the clock, it may be achieved, as evidenced by the disclosed device, by addition of only one or two simply constructed moving parts.

While the invention has been described and has particular utility in an electric clock, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to an electric clock and that if desired the shut-oil means at the upper end of the plunger may be disablingly coupled to a clapper, or clapper controlling element, in a clock of the mechanical type.

In the following claims the term plunger is not limited to the particular cylindrical configuration shown but on the contrary the term is intended to cover generically a force transmitting member extending vertically within the clock housing and having a disabling member, or surface, at its upper end. The term link is a general term for a movement transmitting member.

What is claimed is:

1. In an alarm clock the combination comprising a clock frame, a housing enclosing the frame and having a base for engaging a supporting surface, an A.-C. motor having an auxiliary pole and an associated buzzer blade, a clock mechanism drivingly connected to the motor and having an hour wheel, a settable index wheel adjacent thereto, means for producing relative axial movement of one of the wheels from a first to a second position as the hour wheel is rotated into register with the index wheel, means including a link for coupling the said one wheel and the buzzer blade so that when the one wheel is in its first position the buzzer blade is disabled and so that when the one wheel moves into its second position the buzzer blade is released for sounding the alarm, and means including a shut-off plunger extending downwardly through the housing into engagement with the supporting surface, said plunger being in the form of a guided vertically extending push rod disablingly coupled at its upper end to the buzzer blade and movable between (a) a downwardly projecting position and '(b) an inwardly pressed position in which the buzzer blade is disabled by the push rod to shut off the alarm, said plunger having a detent for holding the same in its projecting position for supporting the clock housing in tilted position slightly spaced from the supporting surface while permitting inward movement of the plunger against the force of the detent upon application of a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing.

2. In an alarm clock the combination comprising a clock frame, a housing enclosing the frame and having a base for engaging a supporting surface, an A.-C. motor having an auxiliary pole and an associated buzzer blade, a clock mechanism drivingly connected to the motor and having an hour wheel, a set-table index wheel adjacent thereto, means for producing relative axial movement of one of the wheels from a first to a second position as the hour wheel is rotated into register with the index wheel, means including a link for coupling the said one wheel and the buzzer blade so that when the one wheel is in its first position the buzzer blade is disabled and so that when the one wheel moves into its second position the buzzer blade is released for sounding the alarm, and means including a shut-off plunger extending downwardly through the housing for engagement with the supporting surface, said plunger having means for coupling to the buzzer blade and being movable between a downwardly projecting clock supporting position in which the buzzer blade is enabled to sound and an inwardly pressed position in which the buzzer blade is disabled to shut off the alarm, said plunger having means for holding the same in its extending position for supporting the housing slightly spaced from the supporting surface while permitting inward movement of the plunger upon application of a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing.

3. In an alarm clock the combination comprising a clock frame, a housing enclosing the frame and having a rockable edge on its underside for engaging a supporting surface, an A.-C. motor having an auxiliary pole and an associated buzzer blade, a clock mechanism drivingly connected to the motor and having an hour wheel, a settable index wheel adjacent thereto, means for producing relative axial movement of one of the Wheels from a first to a second position as the hour wheel is rotated into register with the index wheel, means including a link for coupling the said one wheel and the buzzer blade so that when the one wheel is in its first position the buzzer blade is disabled and so that When the one wheel moves into its second position the buzzer blade is released for sounding of the alarm, and means including a shutoff plunger extending downwardly through the housing into engagement with the supporting surface, said plunger having means for coupling to the buzzer blade and movable between a downwardly extended position and an inwardly pressed position in which the buzzer blade is disabled, said plunger being spaced from the rockable edge and having means for normally holding the Same in its extended position so that a portion of the housing is spaced from the supporting surface and so that upon application of a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing the housing is rocked downwardly about the edge to press in the plunger and turn off the alarm.

4. In an alarm clock the combination comprising a clock frame, a housing enclosing the frame and having a base for engaging a supporting surface, a clock motor having an associated alarm device, a clock mechanism drivingly connected to the motor and having an hour wheel, a settable index wheel adjacent thereto, means for producing relative axial movement of one of the wheels from a first to a second position as the hour wheel is rotated into register with the index wheel, means including a link for coupling the said one wheel and the alarm device so that when the one wheel is in its first position the alarm is disabled and so that when the one Wheel moves into its second position the alarm device is released for sounding the alarm, means including a shutoff plunger extending downwardly for engagement with the supporting surface, said plunger being movable between a downwardly projecting clock supporting position and an inwardly pressed position, and means coupled to the plunger for disabling the alarm device when the plunger is in its inwardly-pressed position, said plunger having means for holding the same in its extended position for supporting the housing slightly spaced from the supporting surface while permitting inward movement of the plunger upon application of a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing.

5. In an alarm clock the combination comprising a clock frame, a housing enclosing the frame and having a base defining a normal and extensive plane of support for engaging a supporting surface, a clock motor having an associated alarm device, a clock mechanism drivingly connected to the motor and having an hour wheel, a settable index wheel adjacent thereto, means 6 for producing relative axial movement of one of the wheels from a first to a second position as the hour wheel 1s rotated into register with the index wheel, means including a link for coupling the said one wheel and the alarm device so that when the one wheel is in its first position the alarm is disabled and so that when the one wheel moves into its second position the alarm device is released for sounding the alarm, and means including a shut-off plunger extending downwardly through the housing adjacent one edge of the plane of support for engagement with the supporting surface, said plunger being vertically movable with respect to the frame between a downwardly projecting position in which the plane of support is tilted with respect to the supporting surface and an inwardly pressed position in which the plane of support is restored to the supporting surface, said plunger having means at its upper end for disabling the alarm device when the plunger is in its inwardlypressed position, said plunger also having frictional means for holding the same in its projecting position while permitting relative inward movement of the plunger upon application of a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing to shut off the alarm.

'6. In an alarm clock the combination comprising a clock frame, a housing enclosing the frame and having a base defining a normal and extensive plane of support for engaging a supporting surface, a clock motor having an associated alarm device, a clock mechanism drivingly connected to the motor and having an hour wheel, a settable index wheel adjacent thereto, means for producing relative axial moveemnt of one of the wheels from a first to a second position as the hour wheel is rotated into register with the index wheel, means including a link for coupling the said one wheel and the alarm device so that when the one wheel is in its first position the alarm is disabled and so that when the one wheel moves into its second position the alarm device is released for sounding the alarm, and means including a touch responsive shut-off member extending downwardly of the housing along one edge of the plane of supp rt for engagement with the supporting surface, said member being vertically moveable with respect to the frame between a downwardly projecting position in which the plane of support is tilted with respect to the supporting surface and an inwardly pressed position in which the plane of support is restored to the supporting surface, said touch-responsive member having means at its upper end for disabling the alarm device when the member is in its inwardly-pressed position, said member also having frictional means for holding the same in its projecting position while permitting relative inward movement of the member upon application of a light downward touch to the top of the clock housing to shut ofl? the alarm after it has sounded.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 in which the touch-responsive member terminates in a button engaging the supporting surface and generally centered laterally of the housing to provide stable tripod type support for the housing when the member is in projecting position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,996,875 8/ 1961 Graef 5 8 -21 3,127,733 4/ 1964 Robinson 58--21 3,314,228 4/1967 Bowdcn 58-21 FOREIGN PATENTS 462,634 3/ 1951 Italy. 884,649 12/1961 Great Britain. 1,018,342 1/1953 France.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner. M. LORCH, EDITH C. SIMMONS, Assistant Examiners. 

